Vocalists participating in the Messiah Sing should arrive by 2 p.m. with music in hand.

Robert Hudson will conduct. No admission will be charged, but donations will be accepted for Interfaith Assistance Ministry. One of this year’s soloists is Carolyn Grimes Sherwood, lyric coloratura soprano, who is renowned for her extraordinary vocal technique and purity of sound. She has appeared in recital throughout the United States and Canada, including performances with the Detroit Symphony. For many years, Sherwood performed the national anthem for the Detroit Lions football team in the Pontiac Silverdome.

Sherwood has a Bachelor of Music degree from Cornell College in Iowa and a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan.

In 2007, she and her husband, Fred, moved to Hendersonville, where they attend First United Methodist Church.

The Vespers are considered by many to be the greatest of Russian Orthodox church music.

Hushed and peaceful, the movements have a chant-like quality.

Also on the program is Conrad Susa’s “Carols and Lullabies,” which celebrates the season, as Susa himself wrote, as if it were a “Southwestern pinata party for a new baby.”

In the spirit of the season, this is a Manna Benefit Concert in partnership with First Baptist Church, with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to help feed those in need in Western North Carolina. For tickets, call 828-232-2060 or visit www.

ashevillechoralsociety.

org.

Service of Lessons, Carols at St. James

St. James Episcopal Church at 766 N. Main St. is hosting an Advent Service of Lessons and Carols at 5 p.m. Dec. 2.

The annual holiday service will feature The Montreat Scottish Pipes and Drums, an ensemble dedicated to preserving and performing classical Scottish music in Western North Carolina, led by St. James parishioner Joe Bailey. They will be playing “Morag of Dunvegan,” “MacRae Meadow” and other pieces during the service. The St. James choir, led by Director of Music Brad Gee, will be singing anthems and carols appropriate to the seven Advent readings, including “Christ Hath a Garden” by Gerald Near, “How Lovely are the Messengers” by Felix Mendelssohn, “The Angel Gabriel” by Malcolm Archer, “Matin Responsory” by Giovanni Palestrina, and Paul Manz’s benediction “E’en so Lord Jesus Quickly Come.” St. James parishioner Paul Doebler will be playing “Three Carols for Flute and Organ” by Michael Barker for the prelude. Howard Bakken will be the organist for the service.

No tickets are required; an offering will be received. A candlelight reception will follow.

Call 828-694-6925 or visit stjamesepiscopal.com for more information.

Seminar on mystics at Mills River church

Mills River Presbyterian Church at 10 Presbyterian Church Road will host a series of two one-hour informative classes titled “Close Encounters of the Christian Kind: Christian Mystics” from 6 to 7 p.m. Dec. 3 and 10 in the Fellowship Hall.

The sessions are free.

“We developed this enticing two-part class to explore the lives of two Medieval mystics, Hildegarde von Bingen and Thomas a Kempis,” says Randall Boggs, pastor at the church. “Von Bingen is one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages. She was a nun, mystic and composer whose music still inspires us today. We’ll focus on her life and music during the Dec. 3 session.”

At the Dec. 10 class, students will learn about Kempis, whose devotional “The Imitation of Christ” is still widely read today and instructs people on how to love God.

No registration is needed for the free, casual classes. Each class and discussion is independent of the other, so it’s not imperative to attend both sessions.

<p>Messiah Sing Sunday at Trinity Presbyterian </p><p>Hendersonville's eighth annual Messiah Sing, sponsored by Henderson County Churches Uniting, will be presented at 3 p.m.</p><p>Sunday at Trinity Presbyterian Church.</p><p>Vocalists participating in the Messiah Sing should arrive by 2 p.m. with music in hand.</p><p>Robert Hudson will conduct. No admission will be charged, but donations will be accepted for Interfaith Assistance Ministry. One of this year's soloists is Carolyn Grimes Sherwood, lyric coloratura soprano, who is renowned for her extraordinary vocal technique and purity of sound. She has appeared in recital throughout the United States and Canada, including performances with the Detroit Symphony. For many years, Sherwood performed the national anthem for the Detroit Lions football team in the Pontiac Silverdome.</p><p>Sherwood has a Bachelor of Music degree from Cornell College in Iowa and a Master's degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan.</p><p>In 2007, she and her husband, Fred, moved to Hendersonville, where they attend First United Methodist Church. </p><p>ARDEN </p><p>Rachmaninoff 'Vespers' coming </p><p>Rachmaninoff's sacred “Vespers” will be performed in Asheville Choral Society concerts at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Dec. 1 at Arden Presbyterian Church, 2215 Hendersonville Road.</p><p>The Vespers are considered by many to be the greatest of Russian Orthodox church music.</p><p>Hushed and peaceful, the movements have a chant-like quality.</p><p>Also on the program is Conrad Susa's “Carols and Lullabies,” which celebrates the season, as Susa himself wrote, as if it were a “Southwestern pinata party for a new baby.”</p><p>In the spirit of the season, this is a Manna Benefit Concert in partnership with First Baptist Church, with a percentage of the proceeds being donated to help feed those in need in Western North Carolina. For tickets, call 828-232-2060 or visit www.</p><p>ashevillechoralsociety.</p><p>org. </p><p>Service of Lessons, Carols at St. James </p><p>St. James Episcopal Church at 766 N. Main St. is hosting an Advent Service of Lessons and Carols at 5 p.m. Dec. 2.</p><p>The annual holiday service will feature The Montreat Scottish Pipes and Drums, an ensemble dedicated to preserving and performing classical Scottish music in Western North Carolina, led by St. James parishioner Joe Bailey. They will be playing “Morag of Dunvegan,” “MacRae Meadow” and other pieces during the service. The St. James choir, led by Director of Music Brad Gee, will be singing anthems and carols appropriate to the seven Advent readings, including “Christ Hath a Garden” by Gerald Near, “How Lovely are the Messengers” by Felix Mendelssohn, “The Angel Gabriel” by Malcolm Archer, “Matin Responsory” by Giovanni Palestrina, and Paul Manz's benediction “E'en so Lord Jesus Quickly Come.” St. James parishioner Paul Doebler will be playing “Three Carols for Flute and Organ” by Michael Barker for the prelude. Howard Bakken will be the organist for the service.</p><p>No tickets are required; an offering will be received. A candlelight reception will follow.</p><p>Call 828-694-6925 or visit stjamesepiscopal.com for more information. </p><p>Seminar on mystics at Mills River church </p><p>Mills River Presbyterian Church at 10 Presbyterian Church Road will host a series of two one-hour informative classes titled “Close Encounters of the Christian Kind: Christian Mystics” from 6 to 7 p.m. Dec. 3 and 10 in the Fellowship Hall.</p><p>The sessions are free.</p><p>“We developed this enticing two-part class to explore the lives of two Medieval mystics, Hildegarde von Bingen and Thomas a Kempis,” says Randall Boggs, pastor at the church. “Von Bingen is one of the most remarkable women of the Middle Ages. She was a nun, mystic and composer whose music still inspires us today. We'll focus on her life and music during the Dec. 3 session.”</p><p>At the Dec. 10 class, students will learn about Kempis, whose devotional “The Imitation of Christ” is still widely read today and instructs people on how to love God.</p><p>No registration is needed for the free, casual classes. Each class and discussion is independent of the other, so it's not imperative to attend both sessions.</p><p>Call 828-891-7101 for more information. </p><p>Compiled from staff reports</p>